'That brat Deidara can't calm down at all. It's been so long and he still hasn't come back.'
Onoki slowly walked to his desk and sat down, and he could not help thinking of that troublesome Deidara.
Since he had already taught Deidara the Dust Release, he naturally intended to train him as his successor.
But that kid was just too restless, jumping around like a monkey all day, never able to sit still.
Back when Onoki was teaching Deidara how to learn Dust Release, he had truly put in a great deal of effort.
However, through that period of getting along, he had more or less figured out Deidara's personality.
Fortunately, the people under him were clever enough to cater to his interests, often sending Deidara some rare clay.
Because of that, their relationship had always been kept quite good.
It was just that all of this was done in secret, and the outside world knew nothing about it.
Now, Deidara had joined that mysterious Akatsuki organization, and not long ago he even went to intercept ninja from Kumogakure.
After that battle, Kumogakure questioned Onoki about Deidara.
Onoki understood everything clearly in his heart, but on the surface he acted innocent and denied everything, insisting that Deidara had long since defected from Iwagakure and had nothing to do with the village anymore.
Although Kumogakure still had doubts, they had no solid evidence for the time being.
After all, the strongest opponent standing in front of both sides right now was the suddenly rising Konoha.
So in the end, the matter could only be left unsettled.
Not long after this brief calm, a knock on the door suddenly sounded, breaking the quiet atmosphere in the Tsuchikage's office.
The one who arrived was Monga. The moment his standard burly figure appeared, it brought an invisible sense of pressure to the entire room.
He stood a full 217 centimeters tall, and his build was extremely sturdy, like a moving small hill.
Onoki gave a slight nod and casually handed the official letter from Konoha to Monga.
Monga quickly reached out with both hands to receive it, then eagerly unfolded it and began to read.
However, after only a quick glance, the calm expression on his face was instantly replaced by shock.
His face was full of disbelief, and he could not help blurting out, "Namikaze Minato? How is that possible?"
Indeed, for Monga, the name Namikaze Minato was simply too shocking and terrifying.
Thinking back to the thrilling Third Great Ninja War, Namikaze Minato had practically stepped over the blood and bodies of countless Iwagakure ninja and climbed onto the Hokage's seat.
At that time, he was the one and only person in the world who had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.
People called him the Yellow Flash.
Any opponent who encountered him on the battlefield would usually choose to retreat immediately, without even worrying about whether their original mission was completed.
Because they knew very well that if they hesitated even a little, what awaited them would be death.
When Namikaze Minato became Hokage, every village could be said to feel like they were sitting on pins and needles.
After all, no one wanted to face such a terrifying existence with unfathomable strength and lightning-fast speed.
Fortunately, this Yellow Flash, who struck fear into countless hearts, held the position for only one short year before dying during Konoha's Nine-Tails disaster.
Everyone had thought that the threat of this man was gone forever, yet now news had come out that Namikaze Minato had not truly died.
And that he had only been seriously injured…
But was that even possible?
Disbelief was written all over Monga's face.
Standing nearby, Onoki looked at Monga deeply and could not help feeling a sense of shared understanding.
Because in the past, when facing a similar situation, he too had shown such shock and doubt.
"This time, your primary mission is to investigate thoroughly and find out whether that so-called Namikaze Minato is real or not."
Onoki spoke in a heavy tone. Then he added, "In addition, make sure to determine his current age. Is he still as young as he was back then, or has he aged ten years?"
Monga listened quietly to Onoki's instructions and had already understood the Tsuchikage's intention.
He nodded, "Please rest assured, Tsuchikage-sama! I know what to do."
After saying that, Monga turned and left.
———
At the same time, far away in Sunagakure, the atmosphere inside the Kazekage's office was completely different.
The one sitting in the seat symbolizing supreme authority was not the former Rasa.
Instead, it was the respected Elder Ebizo and the powerful Pakura.
At this moment, Pakura was fully focused on handling the mountain of official documents.
Ebizo sat at a seat beside her, giving her valuable advice from time to time.
Half a year had passed since the last ninja war.
Ever since Rasa's defeat, the people of his faction had been living in misery.
After all, Rasa had caused such a huge mess for the village this time.
Those who once followed Rasa and lived comfortably were now left to struggle just to get by.
As for Rasa himself, the dignified Kazekage of a village, he now had to toil outside every day digging mines to repay his debts. One could imagine how difficult his situation was.
With that, the lives of the other villagers were naturally even harder.
At this moment, Pakura was sitting in the seat that symbolized the Kazekage's authority, and the meaning was already very clear.
This successor to the next Kazekage, jointly chosen by many elders, only needed to wait for Rasa to finish repaying his debt before officially taking office.
In the original world, Pakura had been respected and supported by many people precisely because of her overwhelmingly powerful strength.
And because of that, she had been hated by Rasa's faction at the time and ultimately murdered through a carefully planned scheme.
Yet that tragic experience proved exactly that Pakura not only had a broad and solid base of support among the people,
but also possessed awe-inspiring strength. Without a doubt, she was the most suitable candidate to succeed as Kazekage.
At this moment, Pakura had already seen the official letter from Konoha.
When she read its contents clearly, she revealed the same look of shock as the other two villages.
After all, Namikaze Minato had been dead for many years.
Now he had suddenly reappeared like a ghost, which was truly hard to believe and accept.
For them, as the defeated side, the casualties from the last war had already been a pain the entire village could hardly bear, bringing a heavy blow.
And now Konoha had taken the initiative to invite them to discuss post-war matters. The purpose was obvious.
It was nothing more than to claim the fruits of victory.
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